Letter to Mary A. Hawley

3 pgs. 6" x 8"

Hawley writes: his first letter in a week due to travelling; that he still has not received newspapers from mother; that his company is in a, " very lively sector now and plenty of souvenirs from the Germans"; that the Germans are retreating so fast that they leave everything behind; of the decimation that war caused on the landscape, that French civilians still engaging in agriculture; and asks if his mother received and likes the picture that he sent to her.

1918-08-11

France
Aug. 11, 1918

Dear Mother -
I haven’t written to you in over a week because we have been traveling. I haven’t received of the papers as yet that you said you sent. Well, we are in a very lively sector now, and plenty of souvenirs from the Germans, but they are too much of a burden to be carrying around. Our packs and such things that are necessary for us to carry our enough. The last day we traveled we had a Chinese chauffer for our truck and all along the road we saw some trucks going both ways all day. It made the road very dusty. Most every village we passed for the last thirty miles was ruined more than any other villages we were in before. Trees were shot off and what few telephones are in France some of them were shot off in the middle. It certainly is wonderful to see all the trees that are full of bullet holes. In places there are large shell holes and every now and then along the railroad tracks a big piece of rail is blowed out. It almost resembles the pictures that are in the paper of no man’s land. The Germans are retreating so fast that they leave nearly everything behind them. We found letters that are written in German and it said that a man was better off in the army as it was almost impossible to live in civil life. I saw lots of German helmets and gas masks strewed along the ground. Some of the boys picked up some of them but they will only discard them when they get too heavy. In some villages where the fighting was only a week ago the French civilians were returning to harvest what was left of their crops. Wheat, rye and oats are being growed in large quantities. All one day we traveled on a train and that was about all we saw. The women do most of the work. Some of the French soldiers come home on furlough and they help to some extent. Did you receive the pictures I sent to you of myself? Well, hoping you and Father are feeling fine and I have never felt better in my life, except for getting a little bit tired once in a while. I will write you again as soon as I get a chance. Write soon and often. I remain
Your Son